This research study consists of three components: an informed consent meeting, an at-home component, and an in-lab component. You would do this sequence (at home component then in-lab component) on two occasions in total. Your participation will therefore take approximately 4 weeks.
Informed consent meeting (1 hour, 1 occasion)
A member of the research team will arrange an in-person meeting with you (usually at UniSQ). In this meeting, you will have the study explained to you and be asked to provide informed consent. You will then provide some survey information about your demographics, personality, sleep-wake behaviours, and general mental and physical health. Lastly, we will provide you the study materials to use during the at-home component.
At-home component (2 weeks; 2 occasions)
We will provide you with study materials for you to use as you go about your typical daily life. We will arrange with you a target bedtime and waketime that is consistent with your daily sleep patterns and that you should adhere to. Study materials include a sleep diary to be filled out each day, and an actigraph to wear continuously. This actigraph is a wristwatch-like device that simply measures your light exposure and limb movements so that we can detect if you are awake or asleep. At the end of the 2 weeks, you will present at the laboratory for the in-lab component of the study.
In-lab component (2 hours; 2 occasions)
We will arrange an afternoon/early evening time for you to attend the UniSQ Ipswich Sleep and Circadian Laboratory. Here, you will complete surveys or perform tasks that measure your demographics, light history, sleep, visual performance, cognitions, and mental and physical health. In particular, we will measure how your pupils respond to colourful light stimuli and how they relate to your sleep level and light exposure history.
Sleep reduction
On the evening before the second lab visit, you will need to reduce your sleep by 3 hours (i.e., get up 3 hours earlier on the morning of your lab visit). This is necessary so that we can determine how our experimental measures are affected by reduced sleep.
Incentives for participation
It is expected that this project will not directly benefit you. However, it will benefit knowledge about our sleep-wake patterns and may provide further biomarker technology that can be used by hospitals, law enforcement, or during heavy machinery operation.
As a participant, you will receive up to $30 of incentives for taking part in this research, provided as gift cards. You will receive a $15 gift card after completion of the first lab visit, and another $15 gift card after completing the second lab visit. You may elect not to receive the incentive. The incentive will not be provided if all study materials are not returned.
To take part in this study, please fill out the following questions of this screening quesionnaire. Please contact the principle investigator Dr Daniel Joyce for any queries (Daniel.Joyce@unisq.edu.au).
There are 14 questions in this survey.
